Of the 15 goals scored by Beau Chetner during the B.C. Lacrosse Association Subway Provincial Field Lacrosse under-14 Championship, none were bigger than the one netted in a 7-6 victory against the Richmond Roadrunners.
Chetner scored twice in the championship held at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex Feb. 22, his final sewed up the Penticton Minor Lacrosse Association’s first provincial championship.
“He was very good. He drew special coverage when they had the ball. He found ways to get himself open,” said coach Dan Chetner of Beau, named the most valuable player. “His teammates were great. Working well as a team was their strength. There’s no way he could have done that without his teammates.”
Chetner said it was an exciting win for his team and a great way to finish the season. Winning a provincial championship was something they talked about last spring.
The coach added if his players performed their best, then they would have a good chance to be successful at the provincial level.
Beau’s winner gave Penticton a 7-4 lead, but a string of penalties allowed the Roadrunners to get back in. Chetner said Richmond was a tough team with skilled players.
“I think probably the best team we played all year long,” he said. “It was a good matchup.”
Panic didn’t set in when the Roadrunners cut their lead to one. Chetner said once they got control of the ball, they controlled the game clock.
“Playing to our ability made it tough for any of those other teams to beat us,” he said.
Penticton finished the championship 5-0 with wins over the Langley Thunder, 7-4, 11-2 over the Coquitlam Adanacs No. 3, 7-3 over Mid Island and a semifinal win, 10-6 against Adanacs No. 2. Penticton’s other top scorers were Brendan Craig and Colin Duffield with eight goals each and Matt Carson with seven goals. Game MVPs went to goalie Trenton Henson, Duffield, Carson and Chetner.
Along with the MVP honours, Penticton also picked up the Fair Play Award given to Ty Ricard.
“Ty Ricard is a fantastic team player. We were short a defender who was with us all year and decided not to come to the tournament. Ty stepped up and took on that role,” said Chetner, adding it wasn’t his preferred position.
However, Ricard knew he could help his team and Chetner said he did a great job unselfishly.
When asked what this feat means for the organization, Chetner said it’s a great accomplishment for a relatively small group of kids. “We are playing against clubs that have a lot more kids signed up than we do,” said Chetner. “The success is certainly an opportunity to build on our numbers. Make our association stronger.”